


meatballs and hugs

by moon932



Series: winteriron dump [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Winter Soldier - Fandom
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Hurt Tony Stark, Hydra Tony Stark, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, can we pls have more of tony as the winter’s assistant, idk if this counts as angst, i’ll die happy if we can
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:21:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25681969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moon932/pseuds/moon932
Summary: he wasn’t sulking in the kitchen eating cold meatballs. no of course not, that would be ridiculous.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: winteriron dump [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862269
Comments: 5
Kudos: 224





	meatballs and hugs

**Author's Note:**

> yes.

Tony Stark totally wasn’t sulking in the kitchen eating leftover meatballs from dinner. No that would be ridiculous, because he totally isn’t housing his maybe boyfriend when he was a mindless Hydra goon. You know, the same person who helped him break out.

Sacrificing assholes and their sacrificing ways.

He stabbed his fork through a meatball with a little more force then necessary, because he couldn’t help but be spiteful. All this time he’s been trying to save him, and then America’s golden boy goes and does it. Without even including him! The prick. Tony shouldn’t be this spiteful, he shouldn’t. It’s not Steve’s fault that he didn’t know he was like his precious Bucky once.

He should be happy, Bucky was here, he could see the man who made him feel human in those years. 

Steve had his best friend back. They could recover and sing kumbaya for all Tony cared. It wasn’t like Bucky remembers him anyways. No his perfect Assistant wasn’t even there for the majority of his time. Just about a decade of killing mindlessly and hiding in the dark.

Damn the universe for making him grow attached.

Pale blue eyes and brown hair haunted his dreams for a reason.

With a frustrated sigh he stabbed another meatball, eating it while glowering down at the container. Maybe he should go to bed. Maybe he shouldn’t be eating cold meatballs at the ass crack of night, but who the hell cares? He’s gone days with open wounds and no sleep before. 

He’ll sleep when he’s dead. How’s that for ya?

“What did those poor meatballs do to you?” Tony looked up, standing in the doorway being the epitome of calm and hot was Bucky Barnes. Also known as Winter to Tony’s stubborn mind.

“They decided to exist.” Bucky tilted his head to the side, nothing in his face changed. But Tony spent years with him, the two didn’t have to use such obvious tells to know what the other was thinking. 

Honestly, the tells were just a curtesy to the people around them.

Like how when the two first saw each other again and the only way Bucky didn’t out them was because Tony used his show tells. Gotta love it when you have different tells for different settings.

“Don’t think they had a choice.” He says, walking over and grabbing the fork from Tony. He knows Tony won’t fight him. 

Damn them and coping by being near each other.

Damn him needing to please the soldier.

“You know, it’s rude to steal peoples forks. Especially when they are vengefully eating.” Bucky gave him a look. “Why don’t you take it from me then?” He asked, that teasing lit to his voice. 

Tony huffed and leaned forward, crossing his arms on the counter as he and Bucky had a silent conversation. Bucky’s hair was washed and brushed, Tony stared as the pale glow of the moon caught some stray strands. It was like all those times before, but this time they could be free. 

The silence was only broken by quiet breathing and chewing, Tony looked past Bucky’s shoulder as the assassin raised his eyebrow.

“What’s wrong.” Bucky asked, setting the fork down to lean forward. Tony looked into pale blue eyes. He always loved them, sometimes they change to a sleet gray. “Assistant.” Bucky whispered when he was quiet for to long.

Taking the fork to shove another meatball in his mouth so he wouldn’t have to talk, the look he got from Bucky didn’t deter the man. There was a tense silence for a second. “You made me leave.” Tony said, barley above a whisper as he set the fork down. “You made me leave you behind Winter. You ordered me to run even when you knew the punishment it’ll cause you. Ordered me to not look back even when you know damn well I would’ve. Then you waltz in here like nothing happened!” There weren’t any tears but Tony couldn’t stop himself from getting worked up. Looking at Bucky he felt his breath hitch.

“Did you know what it felt like to know you made me leave, alone? We promised together and I left alone!” Bucky watched him for a long moment. Tony glared at him. His hands were gripping his sleeves tightly, the sweater he was wearing be pulled tight against his arms.

“I’m not sorry.” Bucky said, standing up straight and resting his hands flat on the counter. To anyone else he would’ve looked indifferent, cold or bored. But Tony could read him, always could. Even when to others they were impassive, they could read the smallest twitch. “Because I’m not sorry you escaped. I’m not sorry you got to live a life, got to have friends and emotions. I’m never going to be sorry for ordering you to run.”

Tony breathed heavily through his nose. Bucky was the only one who could make him feel like this, the burning his throat because he wanted to scream, to cry. The warmth in his chest from meaningful looks and barley lingering touched. The flutter in his stomach because god dammit, this man does something to him. 

Tony remembers distantly more soldiers. They were supposed to be like Bucky, hell he was supposed to be like Bucky. He remembers that they were erratic, temperamental and would lash out. He remembers the handlers awe struck faces when he and Bucky took them out in a deadly but beautiful dance. Tony always remembers them clicking together, being able to fill in where the other couldn’t. 

Bucky was brute strength and Tony was quick thinking. Tony was small while Bucky was big. When Bucky fell back Tony took his place. When Tony fell back Bucky took his place. 

“Assistant.” Bucky murmured, walking around the counter to bring Tony into a hug. Pressing his face into the taller mans chest, his hands clutched tightly onto Bucky’s soft cotton shirt. 

“Don’t make me leave,” Tony all but begged. “Please. I can’t lose you again.” Muscular arms tightened around him. Tony pressed closer to his chest, listening to the heart beating rhythmically in his ear. “Don’t order me to run again Winter.”

Bucky pressed a kiss to Tony’s temple. Tony took it for what it is.

An apology.


End file.
